Dont Look Back

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Dont Look Back

Released May 17, 1967

1h 36m

Documentary

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Popcornmeter

91%

Tomatometer

55 Reviews

92%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

In 1965, the iconic troubadour Bob Dylan toured the United Kingdom at the age of 23, and director D.A. Pennebaker was allowed behind the scenes to provide one of the most intimate glimpses of the private and frequently cantankerous songwriter. The film chronicles Dylan's concert appearances, hotel room conversations, and transportation downtime, pulling back the curtain on the folk messiah at the end of his relationship with Joan Baez and on the cusp of his creative shift toward rock music.

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Critics Consensus

Don't Look Back leaves the mysteries of Dylan largely intact while offering a gripping verite-style account of a pivotal moment in his incredible career.

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Andrew Sarris

Village Voice

What Pennebaker records is not Bob Dylan as he really is, whatever that means, but rather how Bob Dylan responds to the role imposed on him by the camera. Compared to most public figures of his time, Dylan responds very well indeed.

May 9, 2022

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Derek Malcolm

Guardian

Whatever you think about Bob Dylan will probably be confirmed by [Don't Look Back]. It is a fascinating progress which stays just far enough away from idolatry to preserve a reasonably clear vision.

May 9, 2022

Full Review

Clifford Terry

Chicago Tribune

The questioners spend much of the 90 minutes trying to get Dylan to come up with some quotable philosophy-of-life statements in keeping with his lyrics, but the answers, my friend, are blowin' in the wind.

May 9, 2022

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Sandra Saunders

Philadelphia Daily News

The movie has limitless appeal for Dylan fans. It's also an eye-opening bit of filmmaking for the uninitiated.

May 9, 2022

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Lenny Lipton

Berkeley Barb

What does this film of his tour of Britain, this journey with Bob to and from concerts, tell us about him? Do I have to tell you, do I need to explain, that it's so very little, but so very much.

May 9, 2022

Full Review

Philip Elwood

San Francisco Examiner

Don't Look Back, a rambling hodge-podge of cinematic documentary focusing (usually) on the enigmatic troubadour Bob Dylan, should be seen by anyone either Involved with, or trying to fathom, the generation just arriving at their majority.

May 9, 2022

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Valquria G

Impressionante 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/25/23

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Audience Member

Subterranean Homesick Blues aside, great home movie

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/05/23

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Audience Member

Not only the best Dylan Doc, but one of the best music historical documents out there. Just before he went electric. Bob is mesmerising to watch here. Music is amazing and the way people are around him is also fascinating

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/17/23

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Audience Member

Do you want to see Bob being indifferent to the lovely Joan Baez and watch their relationship crumble on film? Or, would you like to see boyish Bob flirt with a boyish Donovan over song? This one is for you! This is the ultimate boy Bob Dylan documentary which captures him at the height of his fame early in his career, so you get to see a Bob that's smitten with other famous-types here, probably something you would no longer find in a very worldly Dylan who won't even show up for his own Nobel Peace Prize*. Here he brazenly battles unhip news men, rants like a college drop-out, and shows what a little cocky young chap he was.** *The Nobel Peace Prize was originally created to put a nicey-nice-love-n-peace veil on top of Nobel's weapons manufacturing. **Severely insecure.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

Full Review

dave s

Don't Look Back, D.A. Pennebaker's documentary of Bob Dylan's 1965 concert tour of England, probably doesn't pack the same punch today as it did when released in 1967, mainly because Dylan was still a bit of a social and artistic enigma at that time. Now recognized as the songwriting genius that he is, as well as a taciturn, prickly, arrogant, and somewhat esoteric court jester, Don't Look Back helped identify who Dylan was as both a man and a musician. The highlights of the film include his appearance at the Royal Albert Hall and a fantastic scene of Dylan and Donovan playing in a crowded hotel room. Despite the fact that the dialogue is difficult to pick up at times in some scenes, it's worth watching to get a glimpse into the mind of a young Dylan.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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Audience Member

Pros: all Dylan footage Cons: Joan Baez's eating, attention seeking & ear piercing voice.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/09/20

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D.A. Pennebaker

Director

Bob Dylan

Self

Albert Grossman

Self

Bob Neuwirth

Self

Joan Baez

Self

Alan Price

Self

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Synopsis

In 1965, the iconic troubadour Bob Dylan toured the United Kingdom at the age of 23, and director D.A. Pennebaker was allowed behind the scenes to provide one of the most intimate glimpses of the private and frequently cantankerous songwriter. The film chronicles Dylan's concert appearances, hotel room conversations, and transportation downtime, pulling back the curtain on the folk messiah at the end of his relationship with Joan Baez and on the cusp of his creative shift toward rock music.

Director: D.A. Pennebaker
Producer: John Court, Albert Grossman
Screenwriter: D.A. Pennebaker
Distributor: Docurama
Production Co: Leacock-Pennebaker
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 17, 1967, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): May 1, 1998
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 27, 2015
Runtime: 1h 36m
Sound Mix: Stereo
Aspect Ratio: 35mm

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